159. Rabbi Elazar said, "The wise shall inherit honor, but fools shall get shame" (Mishlei 3:35). "The wise shall inherit honor:" happy are those who study Torah. Before he started talking, that man approached them. Rabbi Elazar said, We must not interrupt words of Torah, since whoever studies Torah, merits to receive the inheritance of possession from above of the glory of the King, ZEIR ANPIN, and merits to receive the inheritance of possession in this world. This is that which is called the glory of Hashem, NAMELY MALCHUT CALLED THIS WORLD, which never ceases from them. This is the meaning of, "The wise shall inherit honor," THAT IS, THEY SHALL INHERIT MALCHUT, which is called the glory of Hashem.

160. HE ASKS what is meant by, "but fools shall get shame" AND HE ANSWERS, Come and see, when man walks the true way before the Holy One, blessed be He, and is occupied with the Torah, he inherits to himself that glory of Hashem. Many defenders and advocates are above over that man, who all speak in his favor before the Holy King. If that man does not study Torah and does not walk in his Master's way, he brings about prosecution over himself, but that prosecutor roams the air and does not yet rise up, THINKING that man might repent. After seeing that that man does not repent nor does he wish to study Torah, he then rises up and speaks ill of him. This is the meaning of, "but fools shall get (or: 'raise') shame," since he rises up and prosecutes.

161. He opened and said, "And if the family of Egypt does not go up, and does not come, then they shall have no overflow" (Zecharyah 14:18). HE ASKS, Why is Egypt different here than the rest of the nations? It is written of them all, "upon them shall be no rain" (Ibid. 17), yet here it is not WRITTEN SO. AND HE ANSWERS, The friends have explained that Egypt does not need rain, BECAUSE IT DRINKS THE WATERS OF THE NILE. Hence it is not among those in need of rain, but another punishment shall come to them. And it has been well said.

162. Come and see, it is written, "For the land, into which you go to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence you came out..." (Devarim 11:10), where the river rises and waters the land. But here, it "drinks water of the rain of heaven" (Ibid. 11), for the Holy Land always drinks from heaven. And when Yisrael were occupied with the Torah, it used to properly drink. And whoever withholds Torah from it, it is as if he withholds goodness from the whole world. They entered a cave on the way. The man entered with them and they sat down.